Photographer's Note

I'm working with an NGO in the Phils called the Children's Rehabilitation Center (CRC). They work with children that are victims of state violence.

In this photo a Muslim woman applies plaster bandages to her nephew's face to make a mask, assisted by a Dutch social worker who is volunteering with the CRC. This is an art therapy event for the kids leading up to a multi-org peace camp and rally in Manila in early Dec to protest the actions of the current gov.

In case you aren't keeping up, the current administration of Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo is accused of more extrajudical killings, forced disappearances, displaced peoples, and all round not being a good president than the infamous Marcos (displaced in 1986).

At this CRC event there were kids that suffered from:
- forced evacuation from their homes (including the woman and her nephew in this photo who are from the Basilan, Mindanao)
- parents being imprisoned for having a similar name to a supposed "terrorist" (as there are a limited number of Muslim names in the Philippines, this is a common event).
- parents (usually activists) that have "disappeared"--aka seen taken by military men and never having been heard from again.
- beatings at the hand of the military. Urban militarization is on the rise in the Philippines. According to the gov this is to curb crime (though isn't this the police's job?), but activists point that the militarization is in urban poor areas that the government wants to clear out. So random beatings like what happened to the teenage girls at this event are becoming more common as a form of intimidation.

The impact of your image increases a thousand fold with the words you have written Alex not that it doesn't stand perfectly well on its own two feet without them. Visually the spaces left by the carving of the light and gridded background by the silhouettes of the people have a powerful effect - the actions of the people themselves are a telling image of humanity........take care my friend.

Hi Alex,
A different angle on the reportage style, there is an artful element, it expresses more than simple photojournalism.
I think the image would be better without the watermark to be honest, but I respect your reasons for placing it there nonetheless.
Regards
Justin